We're not here to talk exterior design

                                    

                                          
dedicated to majo for the lovely banner ~

~also, if you guys ever sent me banners or trailers and they haven't been displayed, i'm so very sorry—i have most of them saved somewhere i just can't find where
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"Elijah keeps telling me he built this himself," Darkwood said as he stepped out onto the patio. "I don't believe it."
"It took him six months, but he did it," I said, shooting down Darkwood's skepticism. "The guy's a fan of architecture and design, and one of his coworkers said it was impossible for Elijah to copy one of the backyard images they saw in a catalog together, so..."
"He built a backyard to prove himself?"
"I have insane relatives. You should know that by now."
The house had come with a fairly large backyard, but it had been a depressing sight when I arrived. With Elijah's enthusiasm and eye for hidden beauty, the graveyard of flowers had transformed into a work of art. The patio now extended farther into the emerald lawn, and a border of roses and orchids cut off the stone from the grass blades. The fire pit had been polished and cleaned until the iron metal covering the pit gleamed like oil, and at the moment, a small fire was crackling on top of the logs I had thrown in.
Normally, I preferred the heights for thinking, but I also enjoyed staying dry. Since it was raining cats and dogs, I had lowered my thinking zone to the patio steps. I enjoyed the flames, though, and it provided a bright, colorful contrast to the gloom of the storm. 
And I knew Darkwood wasn't here to talk exterior design. I watched as he closed the backdoor and flipped on a switch. Black lanterns, hung on black wire string around the perimeter of the patio, lit up, encompassing us with a warm light. Then, he took a seat by my side. 
"I have a plan," Darkwood said in a low voice, excitement humming in his words.  
"Should I get a fire extinguisher ready?"
"Ha ha ha," he laughed sarcastically as he gave me a shove. "No, I just need you to cover for me while I sneak out of the house."
This completely pulled me out of my thoughts and I turned to him, a brow raised. "Why are you sneaking out of the house? Didn't you hear Elijah tell us we're on lockdown until the whole Fell situation is solved?"
Darkwood's smile was dry. "And when exactly are we going to know when the situation is done with? How it was dealt with? Who dealt with it? It's been two days, Sparrow. Tell me you don't think it's odd how we, the two people who deserve to know, don't know anything whatsoever."
His words rang true in my ears. Ever since Elijah had called XYZ (rather reluctantly, if I may add), the amount of information streamed down to us totaled to zero. We were completely in the dark, and no matter who we asked—Logan, Elijah, Catarina, even Six—everyone turned their heads. 
"Not to mention everyone's been extremely skittish about what I said. It's like they don't believe me," Darkwood continued, his voice taking on a scornful tone. "Is it because Elijah and your father don't trust me yet? I know what I heard, I'm not lying—"
"I don't think this is a matter of trust," I cut him off. "There's something else going on, and I'd like to know what it is as well."
It wasn't just the lack of information being given. Elijah had seemed doubtful of Darkwood's allegations and I almost had to call XYZ myself before he took the phone out of my hands. When Lancelot arrived to speak with Darkwood, even he seemed uncomfortable. Six, the devil himself, said that Darkwood's claims weren't convincing enough.